Chapter 270

My brow furrowed at once; any disagreement that Liu Junyan deliberately brought up would certainly not be a minor one.

I had a vague bad feeling and asked, "Something went wrong, right?"

Liu Junyan nodded, gritting their teeth, and said, "That corpse demon almost died in my hands—really, just a bit short!"

While saying this, their face remained calm, but the rising and falling of their chest revealed their anger.

I nervously asked, "What about the Golden Scale? Did you get it?"

"Got it." Liu Junyan said, "But the corpse demon, together with that three-eyed toad, fled into the deep mountains. Mo Qiong's subordinates are pursuing it, yet once a creature like this slips away, catching it again will only become harder."

Tonight's operation mobilized almost all of our strength.

Many things are like this: one burst of effort, then weakening, then exhaustion…

Liu Junyan even got hold of the Golden Scale—how could they let it slip away so easily?

Thinking this through, I asked, "What accident happened midway?"

While speaking, I had already been led back a stretch of road, and only then did I notice that several tents had been set up at the mountain base at some point.

Liu Junyan said, "Let's go take a look first—you'll soon find out what's going on."

The first tent was small; from inside came uncontrolled sobbing, and the silhouette on the fabric showed it was the gray-haired old lady holding the little gray child as they cried.

I had wanted to go in and look, but Liu Junyan pulled me forward a bit, and I faintly heard Hui Moqiong's furious roar.

Liu Junyan lifted the flap of the large tent, and I saw inside several people standing or crouching.

Hui Moqiong stood in the middle of the tent, shouting at the elder leading the group.

Behind the elder stood a dozen or so young people, heads lowered, spirits depressed.

Slightly further back, Fang Chuanzong half-squatted there, smoking.

Looking closer, the cigarette wasn't lit; they were merely holding it between their fingers, lost in thought.

"Aren't you mighty? Aren't you righteous? Now the corpse demon has run off—go after it! Go catch it back! Why are you all just standing here doing nothing? Back when you blocked me and tripped up our Seventh Lord, you weren't so capable then? You were! Show me another capable one!"

The elder pushed up the spectacles on their nose with a finger, their voice clearly guilty: "This corpse demon is no ordinary being—we've watched it for years. Its research value is high; it might even refresh our current understanding of ancient battlefields…"

"Young master, I quit!" Hui Moqiong violently cut off the elder's words, throwing down the task: "If you're capable, go catch it yourselves—if you manage, I'll gladly yield to you. Study it however you like; I won't stop you even if you keep it at home under the blankets!"

Having said that, they flicked their sleeve and started to leave.

Behind the elder, a young woman in neat clothing hurried forward, reaching out to grab Hui Moqiong's arm: "Hey… hey, don't be angry…"

But before her hand could touch Hui Moqiong, they dodged away, growing more impatient: "What are you doing? What are you doing? If you want to talk, talk—why get handsy? As a young master, I'm pure and chaste, I keep myself clean—watch your influence."

The girl, about to speak, was choked by that harshness and froze, tears instantly welling up in her large eyes.

Another young man stepped forward, shielding the girl behind him, and patiently explained: "Hey, we were at fault first—we didn't truly grasp how dangerous the corpse demon is. As senior brother, I, on behalf of my junior fellow disciples, apologize to you for what just happened."

Though the other party's apology was sincere, Hui Moqiong was full of resentment but couldn't well afford another outburst; they crossed their arms, gave a cold snort, and stood behind Liu Junyan.

At that moment, Fang Chuanzong also noticed us.

They crushed the cigarette in their hand, walked over, and said to us, "Seventh Lord, Manager Xiao Jiu, may we have a word privately?"

Fang Chuanzong is the chief administrator of the East China Region of the China Special Affairs Handling Office; after the Ox Tiger Mountain incident, they once extended an olive branch to me.

When I previously faced thorny problems, I had also more than once thought of asking them for help.

Although I ultimately never went to them for help, their status stands here, and I still owe them the proper respect.

Hui Moqiong said, "I'm going out for a breath of air—you all talk with them."

They had fought all night, already exhausted, and now they're holding in a bellyful of anger, needing to calm down.

Liu Junyan nodded: "Go ahead."

Afterward, I and Liu Junyan followed Fang Chuanzong to their RV.

Needless to say, Fang Chuanzong is truly wealthy.

That RV is clearly custom-made; its exterior looks plain and unadorned, but inside it has everything.

Obviously, those tents outside were also brought along by that RV.

Right now I don't even feel like drinking water; we sat face to face at a small table.

"Seventh Lord, tonight's mishap is indeed our fault," Fang Chuanzong said helplessly. "Mo Lao holds the top seat in Jiangcheng's archaeological circle, having devoted their life to archaeology. They said that if this corpse demon in Changshi were thoroughly studied, it would be a major leap in human civilization's history…"

"But the progress of human civilization must first be built on the premise that people are alive, right?"

Actually, by now I've already guessed what happened earlier.

Basically, Liu Junyan successfully retrieved the Golden Scale, subdued the corpse demon, and was about to destroy it when Mo Lao and that group of young people rushed forward, making them leave a specimen.

I also have fire in my heart, tone somewhat unfriendly: "That's a hopping corpse! In the underground mine tunnels there are still 81 zombies! If we can't suppress them, Old Fang, this area will bring calamity upon all living beings—can you bear this responsibility?"

Fang Chuanzong nodded: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, I know the importance of this. I originally didn't want to bring them here; Old Mo, I'll let it slide. But those dozen or so little brats—I truly don't want to bring them, yet being in this position, I have no choice."

In the end, a higher official overwhelms people.

Someone above had issued a death order to Fang Chuanzong.

I asked: "What exactly is the background of those dozen or so young people?"

Fang Chuanzong said: "Four of them are Old Mo's students and assistants, and the other seven were sent over from Maoshan for training."

Maoshan practitioners?

That makes sense.

These young people have some cultivation, but their training is insufficient; they only want to keep a 'live mouth,' yet they fail to recognize their own abilities.

These people are indeed the hardest to handle; they lack the ability to accomplish things, yet their destructive power is extremely strong.

No wonder Hui Moqiong was driven to that state by anger.

"Forget it." Liu Junyan suddenly said, "In misfortune, a great blessing: Xiao Jiu's mission was completed excellently, I also retrieved the Golden Scale, Hui Cong was successfully captured, Old Fang—what do you think, should you take full charge of the ensuing matters, or..."

"Liu Qiye, I need your help." Fang Chuanzong said sincerely, "I will send Old Mo and those dozen or so young people away overnight, seal off this area, and fully cooperate with your actions..."